Panthers

ARTICLES ABOUT PANTHERS BY DATE - PAGE 3

Archbishop Wood took an early 21-point lead and, having previously experienced little resistance after building big advantages, might have thought Imhotep Charter was next in line to leave quietly. But the quick-strike Panthers battled back in Saturday's highly anticipated PIAA District 12 Class AAA football final, closing a 22-point, third-quarter gap to eight with 21/2 minutes remaining. The Vikings finally nailed down a 42-34 victory at Northeast - and their seventh straight district championship - with Alex Arcangeli's 2-yard run on a fourth and 1 near midfield.

THREE WEEKS after Imhotep Charter thrashed West Philadelphia High, 66-6, deja vu was in full effect Saturday afternoon with the Panthers' 62-0 rout over the Speedboys to capture the Public League Class AAA championship at Northeast High field. Despite tallying 62 unanswered points en route to the title, Imhotep coach Albie Crosby delivered a post-game message, firmly reminding his team: "State Champions. Still not done. " Senior quarterback Andre Dreuitt-Parks seems to have that slogan set in his mind.

One week after starting at safety, Earl Wolff was inactive for the Eagles' win over the Carolina Panthers. Safety Chris Prosinski, who signed last week, played in Wolff's place. Wolff was not on the injury report entering the game, so he was believed to be a healthy scratch. Coach Chip Kelly has offered only lukewarm endorsements this season when asked about Wolff, who could not beat Nate Allen for a starting job during the summer. With Allen injured last week, Wolff struggled in a win over the Houston Texans.

It was not the expected response from a coach whose team had just been eliminated from the state tournament. But Jim Zeldenrust could be forgiven for not knowing the protocol. His Plumstead Christian boys' soccer team had never been eliminated from the tournament before. "I feel like we can finally celebrate," Zeldenrust said Tuesday night after the Panthers' dream season ended with a 1-0 loss to Moravian Academy in a PIAA Class A semifinal at Souderton. "Every game, we've just been, 'Next game, next game.' We can finally sit back and appreciate it. " The Panthers, who reached the state tournament for the first time, stood toe-to-toe with a much larger Moravian squad, but Jeff Brown slipped one in with 33 minutes, 58 seconds remaining in regulation, and the Panthers (19-3)

The Eagles modeled their 3-4 defense on the great Steelers units from the 1990s and 2000s, and while they aren't quite in that category, the unit has finally started getting pass-rush pressure like an odd-man front should. The 3-4 is designed to feature the linebackers, and the Eagles have been excellent all season, but especially so in the first half against the Panthers. Connor Barwin notched three sacks (he added a half-sack in the third quarter). Trent Cole picked up his fifth sack before the break.

THE PICK After watching some of yesterday's NFL action, I'm starting to think that maybe Cam Newton throws five touchdown passes to Jason Avant tonight, runs for another 200 yards and the Panthers roll to victory. But I guess ridiculous results elsewhere (Really, Steelers? You were my best bet this week. Thanks a bunch.) won't really have anything to do with what happens on the field tonight, and I just don't see the Panthers winning without a ton of Mark Sanchez turnovers. Carolina came into the weekend with the league's 26th-ranked run defense.

Defenseman Michael Del Zotto was an unwanted free agent most of the summer, and he finally signed a one-year deal with the Flyers when Kimmo Timonen was sidelined with career-threatening blood clots. It's beginning to look like the best $1.3 million the Flyers have spent in a long time. After a shaky start to the season, Del Zotto has steadied himself, and he continued his strong all-around play Thursday night, helping the Flyers dominate Florida, 4-1, at the Wells Fargo Center.

SUNRISE, Fla. - After sitting out four games, No. 1 goalie Steve Mason was sharp in his return Saturday night. The Flyers weren't. Roberto Luongo made 36 saves and led Florida to a 2-1 win over the Flyers at the BB&T Center. Vinny Lecavalier, who missed the previous seven games with an ankle injury, scored with 7.4 seconds left, denying Luongo his 68th career shutout. "You try to find positives in kind of a negative situation," said Mason, now 0-4-1. "I was happy, for the most part, with the way my game went, but when the other goalie at the other end pretty much plays a perfect game, it's tough to come out on the winning side.

TAMPA, Fla. - When Shayne Gostisbehere took his seat aboard the Flyers' chartered flight bound for Florida yesterday afternoon, marking the launch of his first NHL road trip, it was just another milestone on a journey that began in Montreal in the 1940s. His grandfather, Denis Brodeur, grew up in Montreal but migrated to the land of opportunity in Florida at age 11 in 1955. Brodeur's love for the Canadiens, ingrained in all Montrealers, never left him. In 1955, the NHL was beyond an afterthought in South Florida.

DONOVAN MCNABB has company. Like the former Eagles quarterback, Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin admitted on Sunday that he didn't know a game could end in a tie. That explains the quizzical look he had when players started walking onto the field to shake hands with the scoreboard reading, Panthers 37, Bengals 37. "I was like, what? I was confused," Benjamin told the Charlotte Observer. "They had to explain what was going on. In a way, it still kind of felt like a loss.